Bones and Feathers
by BlackGipsie
Summary: It all started with the roll of hips, the clack of bones and beads, and the beating of the drums resonating in his chest.


**Alright, this is something that I really just needed to get out of my system. This was inspired by several different things including the story Heaven's Light by Mad-TopHat-Ter because I really liked the race they created and I wish they had explored it more in the story. It is also inspired by several different groups of Native Americans, or whatever you prefer to call them. This is by no means a direct interpretation of any real group of people, just a mash of different things and ideas that came to me as I wrote it. There is one things I took almost directly from a real tradition, but I don't want to spoil it, so I'll explain that at the end.**

* * *

His hips rolled to the heavy beat of the drums, the beads and bones and feathers that decorated his hips brushed against his skin and clacked together as he moved through the steps that he had learned years before; steps that were like breathing to him it was so natural. He clasped the hands of his partner as they moved together, the brown feathers in her hair catching the wind as they moved. His steps matched the beating of his heart, which matched the steady beating of the drums around him. He raised his voice with those around him in a song written before anyone could remember, in the ancient language of their people.

As the beat changed, he watched his partner dance away, her soft blonde hair falling around her shoulders and bright blue eyes that gave away their ancient blood closed in pure enjoyment of the dance. He continued with the dance, turning to meet his new partner: his own brother, not in the sense that they were all brothers and sisters in blood and ancient right, but his sibling who shared his birth parents. Again he looked into bright blue eyes that mirrored his own and everyone around them, but this time the hair that fell before it was brown and spikey, untamed. They danced and sang together to their gods, asking for safety, health, good hunting and healthy crops. The offered up prized creations to the fire in the hopes that they would reach the gods and they would have mercy on them in the next year.

No one expected the explosion.

* * *

"God damn, this is ridiculous."

"Why don't you tell me how you _really _feel about this, Axe?"

"It's fucking _genocide_ is what it is. This is the third village in two weeks they've bombed. _Two weeks,_ Riku." The redhead shook his head, rich red hair swinging back and forth where it was pulled back and tied. His green eyes scanned the area, watching people dressed in uniforms similar to what he himself wore run back and forth, separating the living from the dead. There were far to few living.

"You can't say shit like that, Axel. If the higher ups find out your declaring something like, we'll get in major trouble." His own silvery hair was pulled back as well, but there was little he could do about his bangs, which fell in sea green eyes.

"Well those shit-for-brains better do something quick or the Hillguard are going to succeed and these people are going to be gone." Axel stated, roughly putting his lieutenant's hat back on. "Let's get in there and help, we do no good out here standing like a bunch of pansies." Riku shook his head, but followed nonetheless.

Walking through that village was like walking through a battlefield, and no matter how many times you walk through a battlefield, it never gets easier. Being surrounded by the scent of blood and burning flesh and hair, hearing the screams of the people around them, calling for help or for their loved ones, seeing red, red, red _everywhere._ There were still fires in some places, but the threatening ones had been put out by now. The focus now was finding those that survived and getting them out and attended to.

By the time they reached the large clearing of the village, most of the people had been taken out. It was clear that today had been a day of celebration and ritual. The large fire that had taken up the center of the clearing had fallen over with no one to tend to it. There were racks of animals that would have been cooked over the fire now fallen in the dirt and inedible. Feathers, bones, beads, and painted hides were everywhere. He knew that the images painted on the hides and the ancient language he didn't understand told stories of their people and asked for good fortune from their gods. The western side of the village was destroyed, nothing but a pile of burned wood and animal hide and human flesh, obviously the place the bomb landed. There were enough people in proper protective clothing combing through the ashes already, so Axel turned to go the other way, perhaps find a few people that managed to run the other way.

As he weaved through the homes of wood frames and animal hide walls, he looked around, searching for any sign of life. As he reached the outer edge of the village he heard it, a low muttering. Stopping, he listened close, signaling to Riku, who continued to follow him, to stop and listen for a moment. He finally found the source of the muttering, two hunched figures beneath a large tree at the edge of the village. Running over he found a blond young man, cradling a brunet in his lap. He quickly ran over, touching the blond on the shoulder, who jumped violently and swung around, moving his body over the one in his lap, protecting before he recognized that Axel and Riku were not there to attack them. He then grabbed onto Axel's sleeve and began speaking quickly in a language Axel couldn't understand.

"Woah, woah. I can't understand you. Do you speak English?" Axel asked, trying to calm the blond down.

The young man stopped abruptly and stared for a moment before, like a simple switch, he starting to speak in English. "Please, you have to help. My brother was hurt and I am no good at healing spells. Please!"

"Alright, alright. Riku!" Axel interrupted, signaling Riku to take the brunet because he was physically stronger between them and could easily run the hurt young man back to the medical team. Riku scooped him up and turned without another word towards the exit to the village, trusting Axel to take care of the blond. "Are you hurt?"

The blond was shaking as he watched his brother be carried away, his brilliant blue eyes full of fear. "N-no. We were not close enough to the explosion to get hurt like many others, but a log from the fire caught my brother as we were trying to run away. I-is he going to be o-okay?"

"I don't know for sure, but it sounds like he should only have some burns and will be fine. Let's get you out of here. My name is Axel, what's yours?" Axel pulled the shaking blond to his feet, putting an arm around him to try and calm his nerves.

"Roxas."

* * *

When they reached the medical tent, Roxas was too busy worrying over his brother to think to look for anyone else. Riku and Axel quietly left as soon as Roxas latched onto his brother's hand, knowing they were no longer needed there.

"I'm sorry, Sora." Roxas spoke, falling back into their ancient language. He brushed brown hairs out of his brother's sleeping face.

* * *

As it turned out, Sora's wounds were not very serious at all; the burns were minor and easy to treat and heal. He passed out due to a concussion caused by the fallen log hitting the back of his head. But he was up and walking by the next day. While Sora was sleeping in the morning before they would be released, Roxas asked around for his friends and family. He asked every nurse he came across, asking if they had taken care of someone who looked like an older version of himself, his father, or perhaps a woman with long dark hair, his mother, or twin girls, one with wine red hair and the other blonde. But every time the answer was the same, "I'm sorry, I can't remember. There were too many." But surely, he reasoned, _someone_ had to know if they had taken care of the chief himself! Or his wife. But no one could remember. A chill passed down his spine, fear that they had never even made it to the medical teams, that they had been killed there in the village. He pushed the feeling down, his parents were strong, and his friends were smart, they wouldn't die so easily.

When Sora woke they sat together and prayed. Prayed for those that were lost, that they would find their way to the god's realm. For those that were hurt, that they would heal and live the long life the gods would give them. And for those that were okay, that they would move on and rebuild what was lost.

After that, the two were released from the hospital and taken to the refuge they would live in until they could safely rebuild their villages. The refuge was small, only about twenty run down buildings with beds lining the walls and taking up most of the floors. There was one building at the back where meals were served. There wasn't enough space for all the people there and Roxas ended up giving his mattress to a pregnant woman a few beds down, okay with laying on the hard wood of the bed frame. He didn't sleep well that night, too caught up in the many bodies around him, the hard wood beneath him, and the questions in his mind of if he would ever feel at home again.

* * *

It was barely a week before the next attack happened, but this time, Axel and Riku were not sent to help. The attack was, for the most part, a failure. The bomb missed most of the village, and although it set a fast moving fire, taking out most of the buildings, very few people were hurt. But this lead to a major problem: there was already limited space and all of these people needed somewhere to go. A meeting was held, asking anyone willing to house some of these people to come forward. Axel and Riku signed up without a second thought. They were very well off, despite that they lived together. They had several extra rooms they could open up to these victims. They were warned that the people they would be taking in had "strange habits" that they would have to put up with, to which Axel scoffed. They weren't strange habits, they were traditions, passed down through generations, he knew, and they were very important to them.

The next day, cars dropped off those that would be staying with them. The first was a dirty blond. He was tall and gangly, clearly still growing into his limbs, although he was still quite a bit shorter than Riku. They were not only known for their bright blue eyes, but also for being remarkable small compared to most everyone else. He slouched slightly and wore cheap looking clothes that were probably given to him at the shelter and a string of beads hung in his hair, right behind his ear. He introduced himself as Demyx, from the village attacked the day before, and sixteen years old.

The next was a shorter teen with dark grayish hair that fell in his face. He too wore cheap looking clothes, but in his hair was some cloth, decorated with beads, attached to what looked like a bone that also hung in his hair, half hidden. Axel wasn't sure he wanted to know if it was real or not and what animal it might have come from. He introduced himself as Zexion, from the first village to be attacked, and fifteen years old.

The last two to arrive surprised Axel and Riku as it was the blond and brunet they had helped the week before. Axel wasn't sure, but it seemed like they were dressed in slightly better clothes than the other two were; still cheap, but better. It was then he noticed that they too had decorations in their hair. Each of them had three intricately carved beads that held in large feathers, two in Sora's brown hair, and three in Roxas's blond. The minute they saw who stepped out of the car, Demyx and Zexion bowed to the two bothers who simply nodded and smiled at them, placing a hand on their shoulder.

Riku and Axel lead the four into their home, showing them their rooms. Axel lingered in the doorway to Roxas's as he examined the room. "I'm glad to see you're okay."

Roxas stopped his searching to turn and look at Axel, something behind his bright blue eyes. "Thank you for saving my brother. I regret to admit I have little knowledge of injuries and how to take care of them. I will have to work on that." He trailed off, Axel now seeing the emotion behind his eyes as regret for not knowing what to do.

"Hey, you can't know everything." Axel assured him.

"But I have to. It is my duty to be able to take care of my people in any situation. And look how well I have done so far." Roxas sneered to himself. "I ran away like a coward. I should have been there, helping protect my people instead of worrying over a small injury to my brother."

"What do you mean, it's your duty?" Axel questioned, not understanding why Roxas would put such a heavy burden on himself.

"As a future chief, it is my duty to lead and protect my people." Roxas explained, turning towards the window, leaning against the wall tiredly.

"Is that why Zexion and Demyx bowed to you? Because you're to be a chief?" Axel asked to which Roxas simply nodded. "But how did they even know? Aren't they from different villages?"

"All the villages get together in the fall to celebrate the harvest; they've probably seen me at one point or another. And even if they haven't it's quite obvious to those who know." Roxas said, lightly tapping the beads and feathers in his hair. "The mark of a chief's children. Three feathers for the heir, two for the next in line, and one for any after."

"Any? You mean women can be the chief as well?"

Roxas scoffed. "Of course they can. Why would they not be?"

"Well in our society, women have been put down for many generations. They've been thought of as weak and beneath men." Axel explained.

"How idiotic. Women are essential to life. They bear children, are intelligent, and can make great warriors."

Axel chuckled. "Yes, well it seems to have taken us a long time to realize this."

"And you say we are the unintelligent." Roxas whispered.

Axel had nothing to say to that because it was true. Too many people from his own society looked down on Roxas's people, saying their lifestyles and rituals to the gods were barbaric and they were unintelligent, although few said it that kindly. But here was Roxas, easily speaking proper English without any problem and speaking of a huge modern issue as if it obvious what the answer was. An answer his people clearly had long before the rest of the world even considered it a problem.

"So what do the beads mean? And the feathers? I thought feathers were worn as a symbol of a warriors strength. And what about the beads in Demyx's hair and the… bone and cloth in Zexion's?" Axel asked, all too curious about the culture he never got to learn about.

Roxas sighed, sitting down on the edge of the bed. "The beads I wear are carved to represent the three major powers, the Sun, the Moon, and the Earth. Yes warriors wear feathers as well, but they wear eagle feathers, these are hawk feathers. The beads in Demyx's hair are purely for appearance as he is a musician. He plays the drums and other instruments during ceremonies. The bone and cloth in Zexion's hair represent a… shaman I believe you would call him. He speaks with the dead, helping them move on from this world and find peace with the gods, among other simple healing and medicinal things. I'm surprised he is here instead of with the dead from these attacks. Although he is young, he must have lost his master and does not know what he should do now."

"Can he really speak with the dead?" Axel couldn't help but ask, and Roxas was surprised to see pure, innocent interest in his people and their lives.

"I must assume he can, or is learning to. But I cannot know for sure, as I have never done it myself nor have I been there for the ritual. You would have to ask him that yourself. I am but a chief's son and a warrior." Roxas watched the information roll around in Axel's mind through the faces he made as he thought. "Do your people not speak with their dead and help them move on?"

"No," Axel shook his head at the idea. "We don't do any sort of… magic like that."

"Why not? Everyone can do magic. Even Demyx must have learned some kind of magic." Roxas turned to Axel, wondering to himself how his people could have possibly survived this long without using magic of some kind.

"We've just… never used it. We had to learn other ways to take care of ourselves and make our lived easier." Axel shrugged. "Maybe we just don't have the potential for magic like your people do."

Without warning, Roxas had his hand pressed against Axel's chest, palm flat against the fabric of his shirt, right above his heart. He shook his head, "No, I can feel it." Axel was suddenly aware of how close they were, the top of Roxas's head only a few inches from Axel's chin as he bowed his head in concentration. "There is fire in your soul."

"Fire?" Axel whispered, afraid of breaking Roxas's concentration.

"Yes. Your element is definitely fire. It's… overwhelming." Roxas was looking up at Axel now, his eyes almost too blue and consuming. He was vaguely aware that Roxas's face was dangerously close, his hand still flat against his chest, but he was too caught up in blue, blue, _blue,_ that he couldn't pull away. The sound of the door opening was sudden and too loud in the silence that filled the room. They pulled away from each other suddenly, looking to the door like guilty children.

"Roxas?" It was Sora, peaking through the crack in the door. Axel was pretty sure he could see the silver of Riku's hair behind him.

"Yes, Sora?" Roxas had carefully scooted away from Axel, his hands in his lap now.

"I was just wondering if you wanted to spar in the backyard. Riku said they have lots of space we could use." Sora, Axel noticed, had big blue eyes that made him look way too innocent. He almost looked like a child as he waited for his brother's answer, but Axel was pretty sure he had to be around eighteen.

"Sure. It will be nice to have room to practice again." Roxas replied. He stood from the bed and stretched before following his brother out. Axel continued to sit on the bed, still dazed from the intensity of Roxas's stare and the idea that he could do magic. And fire of all things. Axel liked fire.

"Come on, Axe." Riku was suddenly pulling him from his seat on the bed. "I can't be the only one interested in seeing how they fight." Riku continued to pull him through the halls, but he was still not all back yet. Noticing this, Riku stopped to look at Axel. "Why are you all spacy?"

"Huh, what?"

"It's not like you to be so out of it like this. What happened?"

"Just… Roxas said that everyone could do magic like their people do. He said he could feel it even in me." Axel couldn't get the thought out of his head.

"And I thought you two were staring intently into each other's eyes because you were love struck teens." Riku snickered.

Axel glared at him, shoving him like the mature adult he was. "He has freaky eyes, okay? It's like he's staring straight into you, like he can see your thoughts and dreams and your whole life."

"They all have the same eyes, Axel." Riku shook his head.

"No. Roxas is different."

Riku just shook his head again and they continued on their way outside. What they found when they got there was a very shirtless Roxas and Sora stretching. Axel noticed the healing burns down Sora's back but had to admit to himself, he was more interested in the way the muscles moved along Roxas's skin and he stretched. Roxas was even surprisingly limber, proving he could lay his hands flat on the ground in front of him with his knees straight as well as bending backwards and reaching the ground that way. Part of Axel's brain wanted to think about how useful that would be in other activities, but the sensible part pushed it away.

They watched the two brothers go through many different moves, starting with simple shared blows and working up to complex patterns and attacks. From what Axel could tell Sora had more power as he easily knocked Roxas out of balance several times, but Roxas was faster and had a more refined technique. Roxas ended the sparring by sweeping Sora off his feet before he could even react to what was happening. He landed hard on his back with a groan, Riku almost running over to see if he was okay, before he noticed Roxas helping his brother to his feet and the grin on Sora's face.

What Roxas had said about Demyx being a musician proved true when he came out the door carrying a drum that Axel assumed he had saved from the fire before he escaped. He sat himself down on the ground under a tree, out of the way of Sora and Roxas before starting up a beat. It started with the roll of a hip, a mesmerizing dance that started with the two brothers, Zexion quickly joining in. Axel could remember seeing the clothes they wore the day they rescued them from the bombing, the day of their celebration of some kind. He remembered the chains of beads and bones and feathers that hung from Roxas's hips and he imagined that would be what they wore in these dances normally. He could almost hear the clack of bones and beads against one another, the barely there sound of feathers against skin. He could feel the beating of the drum in his chest, the call to dance along, and he could see the rise and fall of Roxas's chest in time with the movements of the dance.

He was almost startled to hear Roxas's voice as he began to sing, a sorrowful melody in the ancient language Axel could never understand. Axel waited for the others to join in before he realized they never would; it was a song Roxas would sing alone. His voice rose and fell with the sway of the dance, and even though Axel couldn't hope to understand the words, he understood the heartache in his voice. The beat of the drums ended and the dancing stopped, but the haunting voice continued. Sora, Zexion, and Demyx all had their heads bowed, hands over their hearts, but Roxas was looking straight to the skies, eyes open and arms out. When Axel didn't think he could handle it any longer, Roxas's voice finally drifted away, prayers soaring into the sky where the gods awaited them.

Roxas's knees gave out beneath him and he dropped to the ground, arms shaking as they held him up and tears falling into the dirt. Sora knelt in front of him, laying an arm over his brother's shoulders, speaking comforting words in their language. Zexion stepped back from the brothers to sit beneath another tree, seeming to fall into his own prayers as had Demyx. The near silence was broken when Roxas said something loudly and angrily to his brother. Axel didn't understand the words, but he had a feeling he knew what he meant. Roxas still blamed himself for not taking better care of his people. And judging by the way Sora cried and clung to his brother, he blamed himself as well, for getting hurt and distracting his brother.

Axel and Riku respectfully turned away to allow them their time alone. It wasn't until Zexion and Demyx came back inside that Axel dared to look outside again. Roxas was curled up in his brother's lap, sleeping as Sora ran fingers through blond spikes. Sora looked up after a moment and motioned for them to come outside.

"Could you bring him to his room?" Sora asked once they were close enough, his voice soft and low.

"Of course." Axel replied equally as soft, leaning down to pick Roxas up. Roxas stirred and opened his eyes enough to see who was trying to pick him up. When he saw it was Axel he closed his eyes again, wrapping himself around Axel effortlessly. Axel marveled at how small Roxas and his people were as he carried the blond back to his room. Roxas had to be around a foot shorter than Axel, who was around 6' 4", and he was so slim despite the muscles and strength he had displayed earlier. He was barely heavy in Axel's arms. But he proved his strength again when he refused to let go when Axel tried to lay him down in his bed. Axel gave up after a moment of struggling and a whine from Roxas, "Alright little leech. I see how it is." Axel carefully lay down in the bed, Roxas still clinging to him, and pulled the blankets over them both, content to take a nap as well.

* * *

The next attack came on the final village. It was the smallest of the five. There were no survivors.

* * *

In the next few months, Axel learned a lot about Roxas and his people, some of the most… interesting things coming from Sora. Such as the fact that Roxas has always been a cuddler and will cling to anything particularly warm in his sleep and refuse to let go because he also gets cold easily. He also learned that their culture is quite open to all types of relationships, including gay ones. He got a wink and a nudge from Sora with that bit of information, to which he just rolled his eyes and went about his business trying not to think about it too much.

He had the pleasure of seeing magic first hand. Zexion not only communicated with the dead, but he also had control over shadows. Demyx could manipulate water. He showed them by playing the guitar Axel had forgotten he even owned and making small watery people that danced to the music. Sora was one of the few that could use many different types of magic to an extent. If not for his love of fighting he would have gone on to be a mage for their village. Roxas was not particularly good at magic, but he could create and control light, scaring Axel once when he stole all of the light from his study when he had been working too late and needed to get some sleep. Roxas and Sora were even trying to teach Axel and Riku how to use their own magic. So far the best Axel could do was make his hands warmer, but Roxas told him it was what could be expected after going so long in his life without even recognizing the potential. And it proved to be rather useful because Roxas really did get rather cold at night.

It was nice to have a distraction though because work was stressful. The government still refused to acknowledge that the Hillguard were attempting genocide and wiping all of Roxas's people out. And in that time many of the survivors of the bombings were dying off either from lasting injuries or just the poor living conditions they were put in. The most recent count had put their numbers at around 100. And that was when the kidnappings started.

"Fucking hell!" Axel shouted, punching the wall beside his desk.

"What's wrong?" Roxas asked from his seat across the room. He had taken to staying in Axel's study with him, reading the books that lined the shelves. His and the other's speech had loosened in their time with Axel and Riku, and though they stilled had that strange accent, they spoke more casually and not as stiffly as before.

"They've started kidnapping them." Axel said, his voice low and angry. "They've started kidnapping them right out of that damn refuge and are experimenting on them."

"What?" Roxas was angry too now, but his voice was mostly of disbelief.

"I don't know exactly what is going on, but they are doing some kind of tests on the people they steal. The government finally decided to declare war because of it." Axel slouched back in his seat, rubbing at his forehead. "Riku and I will have to leave soon, they want to make this a quick war and force them into a quick surrender."

"I'm coming with you." Roxas told him, snapping his book closed as he sat forward.

"No, Roxas, you aren't a part of the military." Axel shook his head.

"I am a warrior for my people and this is a war over my people. I am going." Roxas stated firmly, he had no plans of backing down.

"There are already so few of your people left, we can't afford to lose you as well." Axel tried to reason. He couldn't bear the thought of Roxas getting killed in this war. "You need to stay here where it is safe."

"How is any place safe anymore? You said it yourself; they are kidnapping people right out of their beds. At least when I am out there fighting I know where the enemy is. And it is my duty to protect my people, not sit around like a coward and hope someone else takes care of things." Roxas was standing now, and his voice had risen.

"Staying safe to continue your race is your duty. Running off to die is not." Axel stood too, not daring to back down.

"If I am going to die it is going to be with a sword in my hand and enemies at my feet. I refuse to die sitting comfortably in someone else's home or in some lab."

"Why are you being so stubborn?" Axel yelled.

"Why do you care?"

"Because I can't lose you." Their voices had risen to the point everyone in the house could hear them, but now all was silent. "I can't lose you, Roxas." Axel whispered this time.

"Why?"

"Because-" Axel hung his head, leaning heavily again his desk. "Because I'm falling in love with you. I know it's only been a few months, but I can't help it."

Roxas silently walked over to Axel, putting a hand on his arm. "If you love me, you will understand why I need to do this."

"I don't want you to." Axel shook his head, not looking at Roxas.

"But I have to."

Axel sighed, curling into himself a little more. "I know." Roxas tugged on his arm and he turned to wrap his long arms around the small body. "Just promise me you won't die."

"As long as you promise me the same." Roxas whispered back, holding tightly to Axel's waist.

* * *

Roxas wasn't the only one of his people to come to the battle. Sora came as well, much to Riku's displeasure, along with some of the other warriors that were still in good health. Roxas noticed several people that he recognized including-

"Dad!" Sora called out, running straight towards a group of people. Roxas quickly followed after, leaving Axel and Riku to watch on. A blond man from the group turned, surprised when he heard Sora shout before breaking from the group to meet them. As they reached each other, the man pulled them in tightly. As Axel and Riku walked over, Axel noticed the beading and feathers in this man's hair, it was very similar to the ones in Roxas and Sora's hair, but the beads looked different, smoother like they weren't made of wood, and he had five feathers over the three that Roxas had. One of the feathers looked different from the rest and Axel could only guess it was an eagle feather. Like everyone else, he wasn't particularly tall, only a few inches taller than Roxas and Sora, but he was well built and carried a large sword on his back.

When the two reached the reunited family, Axel could hear them speaking to each other rapidly in their own language. Roxas had tried to teach him some in the time they were there, but it was so complicated Axel had a hard time remembering anything. Roxas finally noticed they weren't alone anymore and pulled away from his father. "Dad, this is Axel and Riku," He introduced, "They saved us after the attack and we've been staying in their home since then. Axel, Riku, this is our father."

"Thank you for looking after my sons. My name is Cloud." He offered a hand, which Axel and Riku each shook in turn.

"Is mom okay? Naminé? Kairi?" Roxas questioned.

"Your mother is okay, but she was injured and didn't feel she was well enough to be of use here today. I have not heard from Naminé or Kairi, I'm sorry." Cloud explained.

Roxas's shoulders dropped and he sighed. "I should have been there for them." Cloud gripped his shoulder.

"You can't be hard on yourself. You did what you thought was important." Cloud reassured him. "Right now we need to focus on ending this."

"They'll regret attacking us." Roxas whispered.

* * *

"Stay close to me." Axel told Roxas as the pandemonium of the battle began. Roxas was dressed in traditional armor for their people, newly made and enchanted to protect him, while Axel was in the military issue armor, made to let him move easily as he swung his chakrams around, slicing through enemies. The two stayed back to back for the most part, taking out enemies around them. Roxas took several small injuries to his arms and one to his thigh, while Axel got a large gash on his leg. The battle seemed to stretch on and on, and Axel and Roxas found themselves cut away from everyone else. In desperation to end this, Roxas began to use his magic to blind their enemies, making them easy targets and some of them, in their blind confusion, even hit some of their allies. Axel wished he had been better at his own magic and could help, but he had to let Roxas take the lead here.

Finally the enemy retreated to the sound of horns in the distance, leaving Axel and Roxas to limp back to camp, Roxas from exhaustion and Axel from the gash in his leg. The two were quickly patched up and sent to their tent where they found Sora, Riku, and Cloud waiting for them. Sora looked mostly unharmed, but leaned heavily on Riku, who had an arm wrapped around him, and Cloud had several small bandages littering his body. Cloud nearly visibly relaxed when he saw Roxas enter the tent. "Good to see you both made it."

"Barely," Roxas grumbled, falling heavily onto his cot, Axel sitting down carefully next to him. "We were surrounded by so many, I don't understand how they could have those numbers."

"They're a very large nation built from taking over many smaller nations over the years." Axel explained, letting Roxas lean on his arm. "They probably think that through this war they can wipe out one race and take over another nation."

"But why? Why do they want to wipe us out? Why does everyone hate us?" Roxas asked.

"Because you are different and they don't understand. They would rather get rid of something they don't understand, instead of taking the time to learn." Axel wrapped an arm around Roxas, holding him close.

"Thank you for being willing to learn." Roxas breathed, burying his face in Axel's shirt.

They were left alone soon after that, as Roxas and Sora were both falling sleep, exhausted from using their magic to fight. When Roxas woke again the tent was dark and the camp was quiet. He tried to fall back asleep, but the need to move and stretch his legs kept him from it, despite how tired he still felt. He carefully pulled away from Axel who reached out in his sleep for the missing body he usually held close, latching onto the pillow the Roxas pushed towards him with a low chuckle. Deciding to check on the lookouts, Roxas headed for the edge of the camp, stretching his protesting legs and breathing in the cool night air.

He didn't expect the world to go black around him.

* * *

"What have you found so far?"

"We've done plenty of physical tests on others before. We've found that despite their smaller stature and small frame they are surprisingly strong. Most tend to be faster and more flexible than the average human as well. Their durability is… average." Voices swam around in the darkness.

"So what makes them different?" None of them were familiar.

"We've done blood tests but so far we have found no differences in their DNA make up."

"But we've seen them… do things. Control shadows, heals wounds. This is the one that could create bright lights, isn't it?"

"Yes, but his blood tests also show no differences."

"What about their eyes? They're not natural. Perhaps whatever… disease these people have has to do with their eye color."

"Hmm. That is an interesting idea. Perhaps it lies dormant in their eyes, changing its color and they've somehow learned to harness the effects of this mutation."

Roxas managed to open his eyes, but was quickly blinded by the bright lights around him. His body felt so weighed down he couldn't even think of moving it and his voice was long gone.

"Figure it out. Do whatever you need to. I want to know what is wrong with these people so it can be fixed." Footsteps lead away and there was a faint sound of a door closing before Roxas's eyes were forced open, a masked face peering into his own.

"Keep your eyes open. If I can find out what his wrong with you, we can fix it. Then perhaps your people won't all have to die." Roxas could do nothing but brace himself for whatever horrors were to come.

* * *

Axel's first instinct was to panic when he woke in the morning and Roxas wasn't there. Roxas always slept later than him, and on the rare occasions that he didn't, he would always wait for Axel to wake up before he got out of bed. But that morning he woke to nothing but a pillow in his arms and the other half of the cot cold. He quickly scrambled from the bed, dressing himself and hurrying out of the tent hoping beyond hope that Roxas had only woken up early to a growling stomach and decided to let Axel sleep more while he had breakfast.

But the only blond spikes he found in the tent belonged to Cloud. He quickly ran over to the table he sat at, Riku and Sora sitting across from him. "Have you seen Roxas?"

Sora instantly sat up straight, looking at Axel with wide eyes. "No, we haven't. Is something wrong?"

"He wasn't there when I woke up. The bed was cold." Axel was panicking and Riku could see it.

"Calm down, maybe he just went for a walk this morning." Riku tried to reason.

"But Roxas never gets up before me. The only reason he ever would is for food." With hardly another word they were on their feet, splitting up to search the camp. An hour later and not a sign of the blond, they meet again in front of the cafeteria tent.

Axel was tugging roughly on red locks of hair and Sora was biting his lip, blue eyes wide and searching the area, as if they had somehow missed Roxas. "They've kidnapped him, it's the only explanation. We have to go find him. Who knows what they are doing now that they know he can do magic."

"I agree that he must have been taken, but shouldn't we let someone know so more of us can go after him? It could be dangerous and who knows where they are?" Cloud reasoned.

"Our shit head higher ups aren't going to care that one person is missing." Axel growled, pushing the heel of his hand into his eyes. "We're on our own."

"And we're probably gonna get in a lot of trouble for leaving like this." Riku pointed out.

"At this point, I don't fucking care." Axel sighed, standing up straight and preparing for what was to come.

"Any idea where they might have taken him?" Sora's voice was quiet compared to Axel's angry growling.

"There is a lab not far from here." Riku spoke up. "I had to inspect it not that long ago. We didn't find anything, but I had a feeling they were hiding something."

"They'll have no where to hide when I get there." Axel said, already turning to head in the direction of his tent to prepare.

* * *

The first sweep of the lab got them nothing. There didn't even seem to be any people there, but tire tracks lead away from the main building, and they looked fresh.

"Someone has at least been here recently." Axel reasoned, attempting to pick the lock on the door. A few moments of struggling, a squeak of the lock and a triumphant sound from Axel and the door was swinging open. They quickly moved in to search the room for any hints as to where they might have taken Roxas.

Axel was skimming some papers he found in a desk when Sora's voice pulled him away. "There's a stairway over here!"

"Didn't find this last time we were here." Riku grumbled. Axel was there in a moment, starting down the stairs, weapons raised. Cloud followed him down with Sora and Riku taking the rear.

Quietly making his way down the stairs, Axel heard voices. Signaling behind him, he crept silently down the last few stairs, Riku taking his spot beside him as they reached the two guards sitting at a table, slouching in their chairs. They were complaining about having to sit around and protect some scientist when they were sure no one would be able to find them. They didn't even have time to react to the knives in their throats.

Quickly looking around they found no one else and another set of stairs.

At the bottom of the stairs was a sight Axel never wanted to find. Roxas was strapped to a table in the center of the room, his head falling to the side. Bright lights shone down on him and a blond man in a lab coat busily moved around behind him.

"Vexen!" Riku called, recognizing the head researcher of the Hillguard. "What the hell do you think you're doing?" The blond man spun around, surprised to find anyone in his lab hidden away underground.

"I'm trying to fix these people, of course." He answered, blinking bulging green eyes at them.

"Fix them?" Riku asked incredulously.

"Yes. I want to find out what disease infects them that has mutated them. They are not natural." The man explained.

Axel was on him in a moment, pinning him against the wall with the sharp blades of his chakram. "There is nothing wrong with them and you are a sick excuse for a human being if you think you can 'fix' anything about them."

"Well clearly something is wrong with them," Vexen tried to reason. "Why else would they be able to do that… magic as they call it? Why else would they be so small? And their eyes are clearly unnatural. I simply want to fix what is wrong with them and spare their lives."

"The only person here who has something wrong with them is you." Axel growled, pressing the sharp end of a chakram into Vexen's throat, ignoring the pleading sounds from the man and the scratches on his wrists.

"Axel?" The sound of Roxas's quiet voice behind him tore him away from the dying man. Axel turned to see Roxas sitting up now, holding onto Cloud, eyes wide as he desperately looked around the room. Axel quickly came over, taking Cloud place in front of Roxas.

"Roxas…" At the sound of his name and Axel's voice, Roxas looked straight up and Axel sucked in a harsh breath at the sight. Instead of the brilliant blue Roxas's eyes usually were, the eyes Axel saw were pale blue and seemed to look right through him. "Roxas, what happened?" He asked, cupping the blond's face.

"Th-they-they thought they could… cure us! They thought the disease was in our eyes. _Disease_, Axel. I-I can't- ca-can we leave, please?" Axel carefully picked Roxas up from the table, Roxas clinging to him like a lifeline. Cloud lead the way back up the stairs and out of the disgusting lab. Silent tears fell down Roxas's face, soaking into Axel's shoulder. "I wish I could see you." Roxas whispered. Axel's grip on him tightened.

"I'm so sorry, Roxas."

* * *

In the time it took them to find and save Roxas, a short second battle had taken place and the Hillguard apparently retreated, surrendering and asking for peace talks. Axel found it hard to believe they would give up so easily, but there was nothing he could do about it. He and Riku were, as expected, severely punished for leaving on their own during wartime for their own "selfish pursuits". They spent two weeks doing grunt work all day long and had no time to check in on Roxas and Sora. At the end of the two weeks they were issued dishonorable discharges from the military.

"Fuuuuck. What are we going to do now? There's no way we can afford to live in our house anymore. And who is going to want to hire us now?" Axel whined on their way out the doors.

"Maybe… No, that would never work." Riku cursed to himself.

"Maybe what?" Axel asked, catching some of Riku's words.

"Well I was kind of thinking we could go see about staying with Sora and Roxas but… I don't think they would want us around." Riku shrugged.

"What's this? The great Riku doubting himself?" Axel teased.

"Shut up, Axe. I just think we would be intruding on their society. We don't exactly fit in."

"Well we won't know for sure until we ask. I wanted to check up on them anyways. I feel like a douche for not being able to visit since we got back…" Riku simply nodded, knowing it had been hard for Axel to watch Roxas go when they started to rebuild one of the villages. He understood that Roxas wanted to be there and help in any way he could but… it was so hard to let him go after he just got him back so damaged.

They clamored into Riku's car, bound for the little rebuilding village on the outskirts of the city. Coming up on the village, Axel was surprised how much they had already rebuilt. There were many buildings back up and it seemed that, for the most part, life had gone back to normal. They left the car at the end of the road, entering the village on foot. Many people stopped what they were doing to wave and smile at them. When they reached the center of town they could see the section of the city that was still in repair, but Axel was more interested in the blond seated in the center of the clearing. "Roxas."

The blond turned at the sound of his name. "Axel?"

"Of course." Axel grinned, although he knew Roxas wouldn't be able to see it. Roxas jumped up from his seat in the dirt and ran straight to Axel several feet away, throwing his arms around him, surprising him.

"I missed you." Roxas said as Axel's arms came around him as well. Axel saw Riku silently slip away, probably seeing Sora not too far away.

"How did you know where I was?" Axel wondered aloud.

"Apparently I'm pretty good with wind magic," Roxas explained, pulling away slightly. "I've been trying to use that to determine the location of objects by the absence of air."

"That's amazing, Roxas. I'm sorry I couldn't be here to help out." Axel was awed at the things Roxas could do.

"That's right. Where were you, you jerk?" Roxas asked, playfully punching Axel in the arm.

"Ow, Rox! Damn you have a mean right hook." Axel grumbled, rubbing his arm where Roxas punched him. "I wanted to come see you, really, but Riku and I got in major trouble for leaving post in a warzone. We got grunt duty for the past two weeks and then got dismissed this morning."

"Dismissed?"

"Fired." Axel reiterated. "They kicked us out of the military. We're… not entirely sure what we are going to do now. Getting kicked out makes it really hard to find another job and we can't afford to keep our house without a job."

"Actually… my dad wanted to talk to you and Riku about something." Roxas quickly turn and headed off in the direction Riku had gone, dragging Axel by his wrist. Axel was impressed by how confidently Roxas walked when he couldn't actually see what was in front of him. Axel only had to steer him around a small log once to keep him from tripping. They quickly found Riku, who was in fact with Sora, but also Cloud.

"Ah, there you are." Cloud said, looking up as they approached. "We were just going to try and find you."

"Well we found you. Ask them already!" Roxas said, shifting from foot to foot impatiently.

"Alright, alright." Cloud chuckled while Axel and Riku shot looks at each other. "The two of you have done great things for us. You took in four of our members and treated them as equals, you saved my sons, one of them twice, and you fought with all you had to protect us. We wish to extend our thanks to you and request you become official members of our people." Cloud watched the two men look at each other again, surprised. "You will not have to stay here, should you accept, but you will always be welcome here and to all rituals and celebrations. And you will be under the protection of our gods. A place for you here will always be open, should you need it."

"We accept." Axel and Riku answered together without hesitation, making Cloud blink in surprise.

"Well that was easier than I thought it would be. I'll inform the chief and we will find a time for the ceremony." Cloud said, turning to walk away. Sora dragged Riku off to "celebrate", whatever that meant, and Axel turned to Roxas.

"I thought your dad was the chief?"

"Not anymore." Roxas shook his head, starting to lead Axel back through the village. "There was another chief who survived. He's older than my father and already has grandchildren. It was the best choice for him and his family to be the chief of the survivors." He explained, and Axel noticed that the three beads and feathers that were once in his hair had been replaced with a string of plain beads and a single eagle feather. "I'm nothing more than a warrior now."

"Can you still fight?" Axel hated to ask, but he had to know.

"Of course I can. Not nearly as well as I used to, but I practice every day. I'll get back to where I was." Roxas said with confidence.

"I'm sure you will." Axel chucked, pulling Roxas closer to himself.

Cloud found them sometimes later, relaxing underneath a tree, talking. "The official ceremony will take place in two weeks." He informed them.

"What exactly is this ceremony?" Axel asked, sitting up to look at Cloud properly.

"There are two parts. The first part will be essentially the same as what a boy does when he comes of age in the village. You will go on a hunt with some of the other warriors. Whatever you manage to kill will be your prize hide and what you wear for rituals and ceremonies. So if all you get is a rabbit, well tough luck for you." Axel glared at that and Roxas chuckled at him. "The final ceremony will be simple really, for your part at least. There will be food and dance, but the only thing you really have to do is swap blood with the chief, so that our blood runs through your veins." Axel cringed at the though, but understood why they would do it. "I'll let you know when we have the hunt ready."

Cloud left at that and Axel flopped back down in the grass beside Roxas, who was still laughing to himself. "What the hell do you find so entertaining?"

"I'm just curious to see what you will manage to catch." Roxas chuckled.

"Well I can assure you it won't be a lame rabbit." Axel grumbled.

"Don't be so sure. The hunt isn't really how my dad explained it." Roxas said. "You're not just going out to kill whatever you can, you're going out to kill what the gods bring you. Sure the first half of the hunt will be like any other we would go on for meat for the celebration, but then you will be left by yourself. You will wait there for the gods to test you. Whatever animal they send is basically your spirit animal, and even if it if _is_ a rabbit, it won't be any old rabbit. The animal they send you will represent who you are. If you fail to kill it, well… I don't really know what would happen."

"So what did that gods bring you?" Axel asked, rolling over to his side to watch Roxas.

"A stag." He replied quietly. "A symbol of life and rejuvenation."

"Did it… did they survive the fires?"

"Yes. They are protected by the gods. They were unharmed in the fires." Roxas hummed in his throat as Axel ran fingers through his hair. "Are you going to go home, or can you stay here these two weeks?"

"Well I need to get some of my things but… I think I already am home, Roxas."

"That was the sappiest thing I have ever heard." Roxas laughed.

"Get used to it. I'm a huge sap." Axel laughed along with him.

* * *

Roxas wasn't kidding when he said they would leave him by himself for the end of the hunt. He sat beneath a large tree, abandoned and unsure of what in the world he was supposed to be doing. In the past week Roxas had been teaching him some of the basic prayers to the gods. There was really only one he could remember for the most part and he really had no idea what it was for or what he was saying, but he figured, praying couldn't hurt.

As the final words fell from his lips and the silence returned he looked up and straight into the face of a fox. It had vibrant red fur and forest green eyes and it was looking straight at him. It took a tentative step towards him and Axel gripped the knife in his hands. The two of them shifted gradually getting closer, each waiting for the other to make a move. Just as he felt he was close enough, Axel went to strike; the fox launched itself at him, biting down on his forearm. Axel brought the knife around, burying it in the fox's stomach and watching the life fall out of its eyes. Draping it over his shoulder, he began the trek back to the village.

Roxas stood on the outside of the forest, waiting for Axel as he stepped out of the trees. He smiled despite not being able to see. When Axel reached him, he pulled the fox from his shoulder, holding him out for the blond to touch. "A fox. Cunning and protective of its family. Sounds about right." The blond laughed.

* * *

In the final week before his and Riku's initiation into the people, Axel learned so much from Roxas about their rituals and ceremonies. Roxas taught him about the things they wore, the chains of painted beads that represented different gods, the bones that were a constant reminder of death and the cost of life, the feathers that represented their reach for the skies and the world of the gods. Roxas taught him about the music and their dances, about the songs they sang. He tried to teach one of their more basic dances to Axel, but quickly found out he had two left feet and continually tripped over steps, making Roxas laugh. But Axel was okay with that; Roxas had a beautiful laugh and he enjoyed sitting back and watching Roxas dance, listening to his smooth singing voice. They continued the language and magic lessons as well. Axel could put a basic sentence together and could greet someone, but that was about all he could figure out. His magic was still pathetic, but he had managed a spark at one point.

Finally the day came and Axel found himself shifting from foot to foot, causing the bones and beads hanging on his hips to click and they hit each other. Some of the older women had helped he and Riku string some of the bones from their kills together, and taught them how to paint different beads and what they represented. Someone had tanned the hide of his fox and worked it so that it could hang off his shoulders. Axel hated to admit that he was a little jealous when he saw what Riku's animal had been: a gray wolf. He'd gotten a pretty nasty looking scar on his wrist from it too, but Axel was rather proud of the bite marks left on his forearm from his own bite.

"It must have been a pretty big fox." Roxas commented as he ran his fingers over the fur. Axel hadn't really thought about it, but it did seem like it was a rather large fox. Roxas himself was dressed not much differently from Axel, with the hide of the stag he had killed hanging from his shoulders, the antlers gracefully fanning out behind him. Axel had to continuously remind himself of them so he didn't accidently break them or anything, although he was pretty sure they had to be reinforced in some way and would probably hurt him a lot more than he would hurt them. Axel found out why Roxas defended rabbits when he saw Sora with soft furs from a large rabbit wrapped around his shoulders.

"Maybe because I am so much taller than all of you the gods thought I deserved something bigger." Axel joked.

"Maybe so." Roxas's eyes held laughter as he stared straight in front of him, never seeing. Riku said he was imagining things, but Axel swore that Roxas's eyes were getting brighter, returning to their natural brilliance. Maybe he was imagining it, but it was good to see the light in Roxas's eyes after seeing them so dead.

"Come on guys! They're ready for the ceremony!" Sora exclaimed, tugging on Riku wrist. Riku let Sora pull him along, a soft smile on his face.

"Ready?" Roxas asked, smiling up at Axel.

"Been ready."

* * *

There ceremony, as promised, was simple. The chief, a black haired kind man named Zack, who Axel later found out was actually very good friends with Cloud, made a short speech, introducing Axel and Riku. There was a prayer and then they each cut the inside of their wrists and grasped each other's forearms, letting the blood mingle. Axel with Zack and Riku with Cloud. There was a great cheer from the people as Roxas and Sora weaved the first bead into Axel and Riku's hair, and attached the feather that marked them as warriors. "Welcome to my people, Axel." Roxas whispered as he held Axel's face in his hands, running soft fingers over the skin.

The music started and Axel saw Demyx among the musicians, Zexion not far from where he was seated. Many people approached the two to place more beads in their hair, apparently a tradition, but he and Riku were content to sit and watch Roxas and Sora dance together, mesmerized by rolling hips and the sounds of the beads and bones clashing together.

It was all, quite rudely, interrupted by a scream.

The musicians stopped, the dancers froze, and everyone turned to see what was wrong. Axel recognized the uniforms of the men approaching.

"Hillguards." He growled. Roxas had clearly heard him, if his clenched fists were anything to go by. Or perhaps the fact that he was racing towards them. "Roxas!"

At his shout, pandemonium broke out. Those that could not fight ran away, while warriors ran forward, prepared to fight the enemies that were invading their home. Roxas lead them, a large knife gripped in his hands as he ran straight for the leader. His blindness proved to work against him, for he didn't see the man's movements soon enough and ended up with his arms twisted around his back and a weapon against his head. "You foolish monsters really think I would let you survive?" The man sneered, gripping Roxas harshly. "It's unfortunate that you didn't allow me to finish my tests on this one. We might have found a cure and allowed you all to live. But it's too late now." He motioned for the men behind him to move. Roxas struggled in his grip, but he only moved in order to strangle Roxas with his arm, ignoring the way the boy clawed at his arm.

"Roxas!" Axel yelled, anger taking over as he saw the blond being chocked. He swung his own blade at the closest enemy, surprised when flames rolled off the sharp metal. He had done it; he had make fire. He had used magic like Roxas had been teaching him. The flames easily scared away the men, making his path towards the man that held Roxas easy.

Roxas had recognized the voice of the man holding him. It was the one that instructed that man Vexen to experiment on him. This man was the reason he was blind. He couldn't let him do any more damage to himself or his people. But how could he get away when he was quickly losing air? Then he felt it. Fire. And the distinct presence of Axel. Axel was doing magic. Magic. Of course. Letting go of the man's arm, he quickly reached behind himself, grabbing the mans face and pouring his remaining strength into it, most of it drained from lack of oxygen.

The sound of the man's scream was incredibly satisfying, Roxas felt as he dropped from the man's grip. Roxas could smell the blood. "You've blinded me, you monster!" The man howled in pain.

"I was simply returning the favor. I have one more favor to return." Roxas grabbed the string of bones hanging from his hip, quickly snapping the cord that kept them attached to his belt. Without a second thought, he moved forward, plunging the sharp end of the bone into the man's chest. Axel was amazed to say the least, as he watched the small, blind blond push himself off the lifeless man and grip the bloodied bone in his hand, brandishing it against any enemies that stood before him. "Well? Anyone else?"

The remaining men apparently did not see it worth it to fight and die without their leader, as they turned tail and ran, ran away from the blind boy. The other warriors went to make sure they were all gone and the people were safe, but Axel went for Roxas. He reached out for the blond who was breathing heady, shaking as he continued to tightly grip the blooded bone.

"Roxas." He relaxed at the sound of Axel's voice, turning and leaning into him. "You continue to amaze me."

Roxas chuckled softly, "You are doing pretty well at amazing me as well. You made fire."

"How did you know?" Axel asked, wrapping arms around the still shaking blond.

"I could feel the fire and I could tell you were near. I don't know of anyone else that can do fire magic. Even Sora struggles with it." Roxas dropped the bone now, wrapping his arms back around Axel, not caring that he was smearing blood on him. "It inspired me to blind him, you know. So thank you."

"You're welcome, but I think seeing him strangle you like that might have pushed me over the edge and into being able to use that fire, you know?" Axel said, holding Roxas tightly as the other warriors trickled back, signaling to the others that it was safe. Some crouched by them to drag away the dead man at their feet. "I couldn't stand seeing you being hurt like that again."

* * *

News of an official peace treaty reached the village by the next week. Should the Hillguard make any further movement on them, they would be open to full out attack. The celebration of Axel and Riku becoming a part of the people was mostly ruined, but the food was still served later and the bon fire lit that night.

Tonight they were holding some kind of meeting. Roxas wasn't sure what it was actually for, but he assumed it had to do with the recent treaty. As he and Axel reached the clearing, he recognized all the people gathered were warriors. Axel steered him over to sit at the head of the circle clearing, and his confusion grew.

"What's going on?" He asked. He recognized his father sitting down beside him, pressing something into his hands.

"Tonight we honor a warrior who has proved himself worthy of the greatest honor." He explained and Roxas realized what he was holding. He ran his fingers over the beaded headpiece.

"Me?"

"Yes." Cloud took the item back from his son. "We'll have to do this a little differently than is traditional, though, as no one has received one in many years and no one here has." The beaded headpiece was passed from person to person, each telling their greatest battle story as they carefully tied in each eagle feather to the base of the head piece. Finally it reached Roxas again, the final feather pressed into his hand. He told his own story of how he earned this right as he tied the final feather into the center. He told them all how he fought alongside Axel against countless Hillguard. How he pushed past his forced blindness to continue protecting his people. How he blinded and killed their greatest enemy and stood up to all that remained. As he finished his story, it was taken from him by Zack, who then placed in on his head.

"We grant you this in honor of what you have done for us all. Wear it proudly."

* * *

Axel was already lounging in their bed as Roxas carefully set the proud, feathered headdress where it would not be harmed and where it would wait to be worn again at the next large celebration. It was not something to be worn lightly. "You knew, didn't you?" Roxas asked as he ran his hands over the feathers one last time.

"Of course I did," Axel chuckled. "It was my job to get you there without you knowing."

"I can't help but feel I don't deserve it." Roxas sighed.

"You told the story yourself, how could you doubt it?" Axel asked, stretching out a little more.

"I don't know. It's just… strange, you know? No one has earned one in generations."

"You single handedly killed the man that was trying to kill us all. You fought in a war to protect these people. You lost your eyesight and continued fighting anyways. You deserve it." Axel stressed. "Now come to bed, love. It's far too empty without you."

Roxas smiled to himself before turning to join Axel in their bed. "Yes well, it's always too cold without you."

"Then it's decided, we sleep together." Roxas laughed at Axel's words.

"I suppose."

* * *

It all came back to the roll of hips and the sound of bones and wooden beads clacking together. It was a sound Axel would never grow tired of as he turned and moved to the beat of the drums alongside his blind dance partner.

* * *

**So many page breaks. Alright, so the thing at the end was the actual tradition I mentioned at the beginning. That was pretty much how war bonnets were made and presented to the warrior that had earned it. The only real difference was that they collected the feathers for their own war bonnet instead of how they surprised Roxas with it.**

**I really enjoyed writing this actually. I pretty much did this like free writing; I had a basic plan for what was going to happen, but I let it change and go however the characters wanted to take it. Like Cloud wasn't going to survive, Zack wasn't going to be in this at all, Roxas wasn't going to be blind and was going to become chief, and Axel, Riku, and Sora were all going to get war bonnets as well. But apparently that wasn't how the characters wanted this to go and I think they made the right choices.**

**Thanks for reading, I hope you enjoyed it.**


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